A Full House for Christmas

Louie's brother, Nick, was going to be played by Andy Kaufman's infamous alter ego, Tony Clifton, which was a stipulation Kaufman had in his contract (originally wanting him to be in 3-4 episodes that season, but producers only allowed one). Beginning on Monday, October 2, 1978, with the table read of this episode, Tony not only showed up two hours late, accompanied by two prostitutes, but he became troublesome and scoffed aloud at other cast member's lines but proudly highlighted his own. The next day it was decided that Tony had to go, and although Andy agreed, he wanted Tony to be told that it was due to his tardiness and not his conduct. The task was left to producer, Ed. Weinberger to fire Tony. Word of this coming had gotten out, which was taking place on Wednesday, October 4th, and production & studio executives began filling the audience seats, waiting to watch it happen. When Weinberger advised Tony he was terminated, Tony reacted most boisterously that studio security had to forcibly remove him. Kaufman's manager, George Shapiro, was in on the whole thing, and being present that day he hid a tape recorder which captured Tony's firing and subsequent melee and helped sneak out the camera of another person who took photographs. Shapiro still has the tape and pictures to this day. For the episode, Tony was replaced by Richard Foronjy. This series of events was dramatized, 21 years later, in the film Man on the Moon (1999).